Newspaper, magazine, or like vending machines



Jan. 14, 1958 J. MACKENZIE ET AL NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE, OR LIKE VENDING MACHINES 'Filed May 7. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jam 14, 1958 J. MACKENZIE ETAL 2,819,817

NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE, OR LIKE VENDING MACHINES In ventor Jam. 14, i958 .1. MAcKENzlE ETAL NEWSPAPER,

MAGAZINE, OR LIKE VENDING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1954 3 Sheets-Shea?l 5 Inventor Unite NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE, R LIKE VENDING MACHINES John Mackenzie, George Phiip Bissett, and Robert Wilson Bissett, Auckland, New Zealand This invention relates to coin freed vending machines particularly intended for the vending of newspapers, but equally suited for the vending of periodicals, magazines and other publications, the objects of the present invention being the provision of an improved vending machine for such purposes which will be of a particularly cheap and simple type.

We are aware that coin freed machines for the vending of a considerable range of commodities are known and we believe that there are vending machines for newspapers and the like, but that these have not come into general use as being too complicated and too costly in initial cost and to maintain.

Our invention has therefore been devised to produce a simple and substantially cheap yform-off'vendingmachine which has a minimum of simple working par-ts and-which includes a simple coin freed mechanism which onbeing actuated, eiects delivery of the newspapers or like-one at a time.

Broadly the invention comprises an improved n'ewspaper, magazine or like vending machine comprising cabinet means having shelf means in same which divide said cabinet into upper and lower compartments, said shelf being adapted to carry a stack of newspapers or like within the upper compartment and there being area'r gap behind such shelf through which newspapers or like within the upper compartment can be delivered from the stack to slide into the lower compartment which'has a delivery slot, carriage means with roller actuating bar means being adapted for travel on track or guide means secured to the cabinet, a roller adapted to rest on the top of the stack of newspapers being engagedA by such actuating bar means of the carriage means in a vertically slidable and partially rotatable manner and having spike means for engaging the newspapers, coin freed means to the cabinet means being actuated to cause reciprocal' travel of the roller across the stack of newspaperso'r like and'in one direction of travel to slide the top newspaper or like o' same for delivery through the rear gap to the delivery slotof the bottom compartment.

In describing the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of the apparatus,-

Figure 2 is a sectional side eleva-tion on line A-B of Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged frontY elevation of the upper portion of the apparatus with the door removed to enable internal mechanism to be seen,

Figure 4 is a plan view of the apparatuswithaportion of the top wall of the cabinet broken away toV enable internal mechanism to be seen,

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the carriage at the end of its rearward travel,

Figure 6 is a similar view to that of Fig.,5`but with the carriage commencing its forward travel,

Figure 7 is a partial plan viewV oft the roller,x

Figure 8 is a sectional side elevation of the roller stop,

brates Patent Cil Figure 9 is a sectional elevation of the roller stop mechanism, v

Figure l() shows a sectional side elevationl through the slide member when in outward position,

Figure 11 is a similar view to' that of'Fig.' 10i buty with the slide member in inward position,

Figure 12 is a plan view of Fig. 1-1- with party of the cabinet top wall broken away to enable mechanism thereunder to be seen, t,

Figure 13 is a sectional elevation through line C-D of Fig. 11, y

Figure 14 is a sectional elevation ofthe pawl mechanism and Y Figure 15 is a sectional plan view on linev E--F of Fig. 14.

In the invention, there is a case or cabinet 1- substantially of rectangular form composed of vertical side walls 2. and 3, a top wall 4 and a back vwall 5, there being also an inner partition wall 6' disposed near the sidewall 3 sov that a narrow compartment 7 isvlocatedbetween such partition wall 6 and the side wall 3, with-a wide upper compartment 8V between the partition wall 6I and the sidewall 2.

The front of the cabinet 1 hasa Ifront wall-9 extending up from its base to near the bottom of a Shel-10, there being an openingl'l abovesuch front wall9 adapted to be covered by a door 12' which is preferably secured by' hinges 13 along its bottom edgeat the top edge of the front wall 9; locks 14 being applied to ther door 12 which whenclosed covers the'front of they compartments Tand' 8, such door 12 having a window 15 thereto through wliich'theshelf 10 can be'seen. y

The shelf ltl within the up'per compartment 8 termina'tes before reaching. the back wall 5 so that there is aconnecting gap 16 behind the shelf 10 passing, to a lower compartment 17 disposed below the shelf lil,` there being at curved smooth" surfaced' bottom' 1h' toY suc-h lower coinpartment 17 extending from' the back wall 5- down and forwardto the front wallr9" (see Fig.4 2), leaving a stop lip` h" toi such front Wall extending above the front' of the bottom 1S, with a deliveryslot or space 19`between such lip' 9a=and anA inwardly bent edge' 9bl of the front wall 9.'`

The-shelf lil is mounted `onl fiontaridbackl' liars 20 and Ztla which are secured betweenth'e side wall 2. and the partition wall 6, such shelf 16"beingco'r'np'o'sedof a series of batteri' like membersv 10a (see Fig. 3') extending from front toback so as to leave spaces' 10b between same and also'between the wall's`2 and' 6"adthe oiiter battens 10a, it being on theshelf lllaspresentd b'y`tlie seriesfof battens 10a that th'e newspapersv 2*(1are stacked one on top of' the other. i u

In the central hatten lilaI of' the series there is roller stop mechanism (see Figs. 8' and 9) this comprising a bar or lever 22 which'isfreely mounted' on? a* pivot* pin or like 23 which is secured' to' supporting' brackets 24 which in turn arelsecured to the under surface of tlie hatten-10a, such bar 22 having a? short? endz 221'aiidl a long end 22b in relation to thelengths thereofA away from the pivot pin-23 whereby the-bar22-has-a`natural tendency `to hang in-vertical position, there beingia-slotted hole 10c through the batten 10a through which-ftheshort end 22a can project toabove the top surface ofthe shelf 10, with the rear edge of suchl slotted hole 10o acting iansla stop against which the short end 22a will come to ear.

Extending horizontally along the insides of the sidewall- 2. andthe partition wall 'near the topwa'll 4^there are" carriage tracks or guides 24'and 24z1anden'gagd in eachfofsuch guides 24 and 24a there'is a'wheeledlca'rnage-2s (see Figs; 4,:5 and @the wheisz'-oftwich may be in the nature of ball bearings so as to give easy estasi? 3 travel of the carriage 25 along such tracks or guides 24 and 24a, the carriage 25 being composed of horizontal bars 25a parallel with the guides 24 and 24a with the wheels 26 rotatably mounted at each end thereof, each of such horizontal bars 25a having a roller actuating bar 25b extending vertically downward therefrom so as to project through the slots b between the walls 2 and 6 and opposite sides of the shelf 10, several stay rods C connecting the two opposite horizontal bars 25a to form the substantially rigid carriage 25 for travel backward and forward on the guide rails 24 and 2da, such movements being effected by the movements of a coin freed mechanism (hereinafter referred to) through a pin 25d secured to the stay bars 25o to extend upward therefrom in a central position.

Extending between the two vertical roller actuating bars 2511 and located above the shelf 10 there is a simple roller 27 as made of wood or other suitable material, such roller 27 being engaged with the bars 25b by having eyes 28 in its two ends with the holes 28a of the eyes 28 of such size (see Fig. 7) as to freely pass over the bars 2Sb with some slack or clearance whereby the roller 27 is not only free to slide up and down the bars 25b. but also free to effect partial rotation equal to a few degrees.

Secured to project from the roller 27 at the rearthereof there is a row of sharp pointed spikes 29, these being spaced apart substantially the same as the slots tib between the battens 16a of the shelf 1G and so located as to extend substantially downwardly towards the shelf 10 as shown in Fig. 5, but at times, because of the partial rotation of the roller 27, being directed more in a horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 6.

The newspapers or the like 21 placed in a stack one on top of the other on the shelf 10, have the roller 27 bearing down on the top newspaper 21 of the stack, coinfreed mechanism causing the roller 27 to travel from front to back of the shelf 10 and vice versa and during its backward travel to engage the top newspaper 21 by its spikes 29 and to slide same backward on the stack whereby it slides through the connecting gap 16.

Accordingly a coin freed mechanism is required of a typewhich will etect reciprocal travel of the roller 27 within the cabinet 1 and we are aware that there are a number of known mechanisms which could be adapted in which in the main, on the insertion of a coin, or coins of suitable denomination, a slide member can be pushed 1n and withdrawn, this reciprocal travel being transmitted to the mechanism which delivers the commodity.

The major features of the present invention being in the simple yet effective apparatus and mechanism which has been described, any suitable known form of coin freed mechanism can be applied which would eiect the required reciprocal travel of the roller 27, but iu order that the invention may be fully described and understood, a simple coin freed mechanism will be described, it being understood that the invention is not limited to use with such form of coin freed mechanism.

It was originally proposed to apply the coin freed mechanism to the ouside of the cabinet 1 in an oblong box like structure, but it is preferred to avoid such a projection from the side of the cabinet, the narrow compartment 7 between the partition wall 6 and the side Wall 3 housing the mechanism and enabling the apparatus to be located conveniently at the top of the compartment 7.

Adapted to pass into the compartment 7 through a hole 6a (see Fig. 2) cut through the partition wall 6, there is a short portion 39a of an actuating lever 30, this lever 30 being pivotally mounted to a bolt, pin or the like 31 which is secured to the under side of the top wall 4 of the cabinet 1 near the partition Wall 6, such actuating lever 30 having a long portion 30E: which extends across the upper compartment 8 to the centre of the carriage 25, having a slotted hole 36e in its end for engagement over the pin 25d of the carriage.

Accordingly, from the pivot 3i there is the short portion 33a of actuating lever 3i) passing into the compartment 7 for engagement with the coin freed mechanism and the long portion 3017 extending in opposite direction into the upper compartment 8 engaging the carriage 25 (see Fig. 4).

The major portion of the mechanism of the coin freed apparatus is disposed directly under the top wall d within the compartment 7, a slide member or money carrier bar 32, made as for instance of sheet metal or the like (see Figs. l0, ll and l2) being adapted to be in close slidable contact with the under surface of the top wall i and with a bearer plate 33 which is rigidly secured to the top wall t disposed under the slide member 32, whereby a slot 34 is presented extending from front of the cabinet 1 to the back or towards the back, in which the slide member 32 can slide.

The machine if used for vending daily newspapers will require the insertion of three pence and for this purpose it will be considered that the slide member 32 is designed to receive three pennies, but obviously the apparatus could be readily modified for taking a single coin, or other numbers of coins land also made suitable for use iii respect to the coinage of other countries.

The slide member or money carrier bar 32 has therefore three coin receiving holes 32a formed therethrough disposed in a row along the slide 32 which is a little wider than the diameters of these holes 32a which in themselves will just comfortably take one penny in each of same, the front end of the slide 32 being upwardly curled or otherwise adapted for acting as a handgrip 32h when effecting the manual movements of the slide 32.

Cut through the top wall 4 from the front of the cabinet 1 there is a slotted opening 4a which is somewhat narrower in Width than the width of the slot 3d in which the slide member 32 slides, this slotted opening Lta being wide enough to permit of passage of the handgrip 326 therethrough when the slide member 32 is pushed along the slot 34 as shown in Fig. l2.

The bearer plate 33 forming the bottom of the slot 34 extends only a short distance beyond the inner end of the slotted opening 4a and between the end of such bearer plate 33 and the inner end of the slotted opening da there is a spring actuated pawl mechanism 3S.

This pawl mechanism 35 (see Figs. 14 and l5) comprises a body member 35a secure-d to the under surface of the bearer plate 33 and slidably contains a pawl 36 which projects a wedge like engaging edge 35a through the bearer plate 33 towards the slot 3d, the pawl 36 at its inner end having a pin 36b secured across same the ends of which are slidable within opposite slots 35h ot the body member 35a, (see Fig. l5) a nut 37 iitted to the outer threaded end of the body 33a holding a compression spring 38 within such body with the spring 38 bearing between the pin 36h and the nut 37, such pin 361) preventing rotation of the pawl 36 within the body 35a so that the engaging edge 36a of the pawl 36 will always be disposed in correct direction which is nearest to the front of the cabinet.

Also formed in the bearer plate 33 there are three semicircular depressions 33a, these being so disposed apart as to coincide with the coin receiving holes 32a of the slide member 32 when the latter is in the outward position as shown in Figs. 4 and l0.

Mounted to the top wall 4 of the cabinet 1 above the path of travel of the slide member 32 there is a known form of spring ball stop 39 the ball 39a of which is adapted to project to just below the inner surface of the top wall 4, a protective housing 4b being formed in the top wall 4 if so required, covering the spring containing body of such ball stop 39.

At the rear end of the slide 32 located under the top J wall 4 a right angle bar 4U is secured to the slide 32 with its ends both projecting past the sides of the slide 32, and secured to one end of this right angle bar 40 there is a link barv 41, this presenting a sl-otted hole 41a which extends parallel with the slide 32 and is adapted to receive the end of the short portion 30a of the actuating lever 30 which projects into the compartment 7, this slotted hole 41a of the link bar 41 being much longer than is necessary for such engagement, so that there will be lost motion engagement between said slot 41a and the actuating lever 30.

Secured along the inside of the side wall 3 there is a guide rail 42 (see Fig. 13) on which the bottom of the link bar 41 slidably bears, a further guide rail 43 being secured along the partition wall 6 on which the opposite projectingv end of the right angle bar 40 to that which carries the link. bar 41 slidably bears, thereby giving the desired slidable support to the slide member 32 when in inward position as shown in Fig. l2.

To avoid the obstruction as presented by the downwardly projecting pawl mechanism 35, the short portion 30a of the actuating lever 30 is given a channel like set 39d (see Fig. 3) before projecting the end thereof into the slotted hole 41a of the link bar 41.

Below the coin freed mechanism within the compartment 7 a cash receiving box 44 (see Fig. 3) as of drawer type rests on a suitable supp-ort 45 secured between the walls 3- and 6.

In use or operation and considering the vending of newspapers 21, these as received from the press are folded to half page size and are stacked one on top of the other, and with the door 12 of the cabinet swung open on its hinges 13 and presuming the two vertical roller actuating bars 25b are located at the front of the cabinet 1, the roller 27 also at the front can be lifted upward on such bars 25b and the stack of newspapers 21 placed on the shelf 10 with the horizontal folded edges of the newspapers either to the front or back as received, the roller 27 being then lowered to rest on the top newspaper 21 of the stack in the vicinity of that edge of same which is nearest to the front of the shelf 1D.

With the carriage 25 and roller 27 in forward position near the door 12, the slide member 32 will be in inward position as shown in Figs. ll and 12 and so to put the apparatus into normal position ready for use, the slide 32 is pulled to outward position, this causing the actuating lever 30 to swing so that its long portion 30b pushes the carriage 25 and roller 27 to backward position, this backward travel of the roller 27 causing it to partially rotate to the position as shown in Fig. whereby its spikes 29 stick slightly into the top newspaper 21 of the stack and slide same rearward on the stack to the position as shown in Fig. 2 which is the normal position of the apparatus, ready for use on the door 12 being closed.

Before placing the stack of newspapers 21 on the shelf 10, the roller stop bar 22 will have the short end 22a of same projecting up from the empty shelf 10, such stop bar 22 being swung down when the newspapers are placed thereover and held down in a horizontal position as long as a newspaper remains on the shelf 10.

With the roller 27 in normal position as shown in Fig. 2, the slide 32 will be in outward position so that the three coin holes 32a are exposed to view and to obtain delivery of a newspaper 21 from the machine, it is rst necessary to insert a penny in each of the three coin holes 32a, the handgrip end 32b of the slide 32 being pushed inwardly whereby the slide 32 is moved along the slot 34, the pennies in turn being carried past the pawl 36 and past the end of the bearer plate 33 so that they drop in turn out of the coin holes 32a to fall into the cash box 44.

If however there are not pennies in each coin hole 32a, such hole not containing a coin will permit the pawl 36 to project across same and thus inward travel of the slide 32 will be prevented and it can then only be moved in outward direction.

Presuming the correct three pennies have been inserted te the coin hotes 32a and that the slide 32 has been pushed inwardly to the position where the three pennies have dropped into the cash box 44, the link bar 41 will have now come into contact with the short portion 30a of the actuating lever 30 which is projecting through the compartment 7 into the slotted hole 41a and by then pushing the slide 32 as far as it will go as shown in Fig. 12, such actuating lever 30 is moved on its pivot 31.

This rearward travel of the short portion 30a of the actuating lever 30 causes forward travel of the long portion 30h of said lever with greater travel thereof because of its greater length from the pivot 31 and thus the carriage 25 is moved to the front of the cabinet with incidental similar travel of the roller 27 along the top newspaper 21 of the stack on the shelf 10, so that such roller 27 now extends along the front edge thereof.

It will be noted that with the apparatus in normal position as shown in Fig. 2, the top newspaper 21 of the stack is hanging down within the connecting gap 16, the spikes 29 of the roller 27 sticking slightly into same and the weight of the roller 27 holding such top newspaper from dropping, the carriage 25 having moved to the limit of its rearward travel because of the bottom ends of the roller actuating bars 25b bearing against the bar 20 as shown in Fig. 5 and therefore as soon as the carriage and roller 27 commence to move forward as shown in Fig. 6, the partial rotation of the roller 27 causes its spikes 2'9 to move clear of the top newspaper 21 and the roller itself moves off such top newspaper 21 whereby the latter falls down through the connecting gap 16 on to the curved bottom 18 of the lower compartment 17, the newspaper sliding down the curved floor 18 to come to rest against the stop lip 9a, such newspaper being exposed to View ready for removal by way of the delivery slot 19.

The purchaser of the newspaper on having obtained delivery of same may possibly not trouble to pull the slide 32 back to outward position, in which case the next purchaser will have to do this in order that the coin holes 32a be exposed to view and therefore on the slide 32 being pulled outwardly, the carriage 25 and roller 27 are again moved to the rearward normal position during which the top newspaper 21 is engaged by the spikes 29 of the roller 27 and is slid back on the stack of newspapers to the position as shown in Fig. 2 ready for a repetition of the cycle of operation as described.

As each newspaper is delivered by the cycle of operation as described, the roller 27 moves freely downward on the roller actuating bars 25b to finally come to rest on the shelf 10, at which stage inspection of the apparatus through the window 15 of the door 12 will show that the apparatus is empty and with the delivery of the last newspaper from the shelf 10, the stop mechanism cornes into operation.

When the last newspaper is being released from the shelf 10, the roller 27 will be making forward travel while the slide 32 is being pushed inwardly, but as no newspaper remains on the shelf 10 to hold the roller stop bar 22 in horizontal position, the short end 22a of such bar 22 will be extending upwardly through the slotted hole libc in the shelf 10 and so the roller 27 during its forward travel will pass to forward of the short end 22a, pushing same downward in transit, such short end 22a then swinging upward again behind the roller 27.

If an attempt is then made to pull the slide 32 outwardly so that the coins can be inserted thereto, it will be found that this cannot be done because theshort end 22a of the stop bar 22 is bearing against the rear edge of the slotted hole 10c so that the roller 27 (in position as shown in Fig. 8) cannot travel to the rear of the shelf 10.

The spring ball stop 39 is provided so that in the event of a coin within a coin hole 32a of the slide 32 not dropping out of same on having passed the end of the bearer plate 33, such ball stop 39 will push the coin out of the coin hole 32a on passage of the latter under same, the semicircular depressions 33a in the bearing plate 33 being to enable a coin to be removed if it should be so required,

after the coin has been placed into a coin hole 32a, such coin being removed by pushing the edge of same which is over the depression downward so that the opposite edge of the coin is raised to enable the finger nail to get under such edge so that the coin can be lifted out.

The pawl 36 in ratchet and pawl like manner permits free outward travel of the Slide 32, but prevents inward travel of such slide 32 unless the three coin holes 32a have previously been filled with pennies which in turn will permit the paWl 36 to negotiate the coin holes 32a during the inward travel of the slide 32, the slide 32 having to effect this amount of travel before any movemen't is transmitted to the carriage 25 and the roller 27.

The present apparatus will not operate if metal objects in the nature of washers are inserted and will also fail -to operate on cardboard and other soft material articles, the pawl 36 digging into such soft material articles and projecting across the coin hole to prevent travel of the slide 32 in other than an outward direction.

We claim:

In a vending machine, an article feeding device comprising a shelf mounted in said machine adapted to reeeive the paper articles to be dispensed in a stack, a pair of guide tracks mounted in said machine above the shelf, a wheeled carriage mounted in said tracks to move thereon by means of the wheels of the carriage, actuating bars suspended from the carriage and extending downrwardly, one on each side of the stack, for the entire height of the stack, an eye member slidably mounted on each of the bars with clearance about the bars, a roller secured between the eye members with the eye members in a plane which is parallel and adjacent to the axis of the roller, downward sliding of the roller on the bars occurring upon dispensing of papers from the top of the stack, the eye members surrounding the bars with clearance so that the roller will have a limited rotary movement on the bars limited by the diameter of the eye as the latter abuts against its bar, the roller having spikes therein to contact the top paper when the roller is actuated, and means to reciprocate the carriage so that the roller will feed the articles one at a time upon each reciprocating cycle of the carriage in its tracks, and the roller, as restricted in its rotary movement by the eye members on the actuating bars, upon the initial forward travel of the carriage inserting the spikes in the top paper of the stack to carry the impaled paper forward.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,277,568 Giardi Sept. 3, 1918 1,946,183 Williamson Feb. 6, 1934 2,180,326 Traversy Nov. 14, 1939 2,501,970 Sawitzke Mar. 28, 1950 2,504,990 Leschin Apr. 25, 1950 2,576,636 Opgenorth Nov. 27, 1951 

